Viewing: October 21,2026
Join us Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00 p.m. as we celebrate Appalachia Day as part of our Sustainability Series!
Admission is FREE – Tickets are required
This event will feature a presentation by Dr. Tiffany Arnold and local Rural Action group Appalachian Understories
About the films
Vs. Goliath: Appalachia: Deep in the hollows of the Appalachian Mountains, the construction of a fracked gas pipeline rips through mountaintops, forests, and streams, bearing down on rural communities across Appalachia. Russell, an Army veteran who once swore an oath to protect and serve his country, now finds his home, waters, and forests under threat. He enlists in the battle to defend his community. Russell joins forces with people along the pipeline route, including Georgia, an apple farmer in Virginia; Maury, a retired schoolteacher in West Virginia; and Crystal and Jason, Indigenous community leaders in North Carolina. Together, they form a movement that faces numerous setbacks as they take on the multibillion-dollar corporations behind the pipeline. When one of the nation’s most powerful politicians intervenes, the stage is set for a high-stakes showdown.
Appalachian Understories:
About the speaker
Dr. Tiffany Arnold is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the College of Health Sciences and Professions where she coordinates the Appalachian Studies Undergraduate and Graduate Certificate Programs. Additionally, she teaches Public Health and Environmental Health Courses focused on Appalachian studies.
One of Dr. Arnold’s interests is the way that the Appalachian region is portrayed in films and in the media, and she draws upon this interest to help others think critically about their own perceptions of the region and, most importantly, where these ideas come from. Complicated portrayals in the media often come up in popular culture in the form of mainstream horror films or “thrill-billy” films. While the film Cocaine Bear is based on a series of true events, Dr. Arnold will discuss how dramatic interpretations of true events can be both problematic and entertaining at the same time.
Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films
The series is made possible thanks to the support of: University Libraries, Honors Tutorial College, Office of Sustainability, and The Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program.
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